Half-Arsed History
Channel Details
Half-Arsed History
Half-Arsed History's first book, History's Strangest Deaths, is now available: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlWelcome along to Half-Arsed History! It's a weekly podcast highlighting absurd and entertaining stories from history. Three times...
Recent Episodes
636 episodes
QAH Episode 139: The SS Princess Alice Disaster
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the SS Princess Alice Disaster, when hundreds of people drowned in raw sewage after two ships collided on...
Update: On Recent Episodes Being Late and a Few Other Things Too
TL;DL: No episodes for the next week or so. I'm a little bit burnt out after a huge year, so I've been struggling to get episodes out on time. Solutio...
Episode 388: Beatrix Potter, the Enterprising Author
In this week's episode, get to know the remarkable Beatrix Potter, whose historical legacy goes a lot further than just the authorship of an immensely...
Inventions Episode 48: The Pill
The pill brought about a huge shift in the history of human civilisation, revolutionising the role of women in society, culture, politics, and economi...
QAH Episode 138: The Mad Trapper of Rat River
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the tale of the Mad Trapper of Rat River, a mysterious figure who led the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on a month-lon...
Episode 387 Nations Named After People
In this week's episode, hear about the history behind the names of five nations, all named after real historical figures.
Hosted...
Inventions Episode 47: Velcro
Velcro - or, officially, the hook-and-loop fastener - is a useful little invention that we all still use today, and one that was popularised after hel...
QAH Episode 137: W.G. Grace, the Great Cricketer
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of W.G. Grace, one of the most famous cricketers from the 19th century, famous for his immense skill which h...
Episode 386: The History of the Ashes
In this episode, get across the origin and history of a fierce century-and-a-half sporting rivalry, brought to life whenever Australia face off agains...
Inventions Episode 46: The Microwave Oven
The microwave oven came about due to a very lucky accident involving an electrical engineer and chocolate bar, and today is found in billions of homes...
QAH Episode 136: The Petrov Affair
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Petrov Affair, when two Soviet spies caused a major political upheaval by defecting to Australia in the 1950s.
Episode 385: The 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis
In this week's episode, hear the story of the Dismissal: the 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis, when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was turfed out b...
Inventions Episode 45: The Ballpoint Pen
The ballpoint pen may not have ushered in a technological revolution as so many other inventions in this series did, but it nonetheless played a signi...
QAH Episode 135: Robert Curthose, the Mutinous Elder Brother
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of Robert Curthose, who managed to cause all sorts of headaches for his two kingly brothers, despite being o...
Episode 384: History’s Problematic Princes
In this week's episode, apropos of nothing, meet three historical younger-born princes who nothing but a royal pain in the arse for their older brothe...
Inventions Episode 44: Penicillin
Penicillin was a miraculous, marvellous discovery that revolutionised modern medicine and saved millions upon millions of lives, ushering in the age o...
QAH Episode 134: The Venus de Milo
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the Venus de Milo, the most famous ancient statue in the world, and perhaps second-most famous artwork in...
Episode 383: That Time the Mona Lisa Was Stolen from the Louvre
In this week's episode, learn about the Louvre's most infamous heist: the time that the Mona Lisa itself was stolen by an Italian carpenter named Vinc...
Inventions Episode 43: Plastic
Plastic is everywhere - these days, it's impossible to live a completely plastic-free life; but that's not necessarily entirely a bad thing, as even w...
QAH Episode 133: The Lake Nyos Disaster
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Lake Nyos Disaster, when over 1,700 people living around Lake Nyos mysteriously perished one night in 1986.
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Episode 382: The Tichborne Claimant
In this week's episode, get stuck into the mystery of the Tichborne Claimant, when a butcher from Wagga Wagga claimed to be the long-lost heir to a Br...
Inventions Episode 42: The Aeroplane
The aeroplane completely transformed human civilisation across the 20th century, bringing immense change to travel, transport, logistics, and military...
QAH Episode 132: Roy Sullivan, the Human Lightning Rod
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of Roy Sullivan, a US National Park Ranger who was hit by lightning on seven separate occasions, surviving e...
Episode 381: Matthew Flinders, the Man Who Named Australia
In this week's episode, get to know Matthew Flinders, the explorer and navigator who was the first person to circumnavigate Australia - and later popu...
Inventions Episode 41: Radio
Radio brought about a revolution in communications technology, allowing widespread wireless communication across great distances and bringing about an...
QAH Episode 131: Australia's Silliest Laws - Part 2
Quarter-Arsed History presents: more of the silliest laws still in effect in Tasmania, Western Australia, and South Australia including posing an an a...
Episode 380: History’s Biggest Misconceptions - Part 3
In this week's episode, uncover the truth behind five more historical misconceptions: what Roman vomitoriums were used for, mediaeval life expectancie...
Inventions Episode 40: Aspirin
Aspirin was one of the very first mass-produced pharmaceuticals, and its invention and development has a very interesting backstory filled with disagr...
QAH Episode 130: Australia's Silliest Laws - Part 1
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the silliest laws still on the books in Victoria, NSW, and Queensland - including prohibitions against corresponding w...
Episode 379: Matilda of Tuscany, the Great Countess
In this week's episode, meet Matilda of Tuscany, also known as the "Great Countess", a woman who played a very important role in the politics of the P...
Inventions Episode 39: The X-Ray Machine
The X-ray machine changed medicine forever, enabling an easy and (eventually) safe way to see inside the human body non-invasively for diagnosis and t...
QAH Episode 129: Britain's Silliest Laws
Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief summary of some of the most absurd laws that are, technically speaking, still in force across the UK - includi...
Episode 378: Dick Turpin, the Infamous Highwayman
In this week's episode, meet Dick Turpin, an 18th-century highwayman who passed into English folklore for his daring predations as a violent criminal....
Inventions Episode 38: The Automobile
The automobile is one of the most transformative inventions in human history, completely changing the way transportation, society, culture, business,...
QAH Episode 128: The Death of Allan Pinkerton
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the death of Allan Pinkerton, a story that is completely and totally distinct from the one cut from Histo...
Episode 377: Krum the Fearsome, Bane of Emperors
In this week's episode, get to know Khan Krum the Fearsome, a 9th-century leader of the Bulgarian Empire who is famous for, amongst other things, drin...
Inventions Episode 37: The Light Bulb
The light bulb is something found in more or less every room in our homes, today - and while its form and function hasn't changed too much, it has und...
QAH Episode 127: HAH Live Q&A from Maroochydore
Quarter-Arsed History presents: highlights from the Q&A sessions from the live show in Maroochydore, including questions on the research that went int...
Episode 376: The Book Tour 2025 - LIVE in Maroochydore
In this week's episode, get the best kind of advice - unsolicited advice - as to how to bring your creative endeavours to life (there are also a coupl...
Inventions Episode 36: The Telephone
The telephone completely changed the way we communicate with one another, making it possible to have an instant back-and-forth conversation across vas...